This disclosure is generally directed to imaging members, and more specifically, the present disclosure is directed to single and multi-layered photoconductive imaging members comprised of a charge transport layer containing a charge transport component or compounds, especially hole transport components comprising both transport like an aryl amine and antioxidant functionalities to thus enable both charge transporting and antioxidant characteristics for the charge transport layer. The charge, and more specifically, hole transport layer can be comprised of molecules comprised of a tertiary arylamine and phenol components, and which molecules can be prepared, for example, by the condensation of a bis(hydroxyalkyl)-triarylamine and a phenol in the presence of an acid catalyst, and wherein the generated molecules are resistant to image deletion and also are protected from oxidation. Oxidation of hole transport molecules can cause lateral charge migration arising, for example, from poor corona charging resistance, and in addition components like antioxidents can escape from the charge transport layer when such layer is subjected to heat. The antioxidants illustrated herein can be added to the charge transport layer in an effective suitable amount, such as those amounts that would not adversely affect the electrical characteristics of the imaging member. The disadvantages of antioxidants escaping during, for example, heating, and high residue potentials are minimized, and in a number of instances avoided with the members of the present disclosure.
The members of the present disclosure may also contain a hole blocking layer, such as an undercoat layer (UCL) comprised of, for example, a metal oxide, such as titanium oxide dispersed in a phenolic resin/phenolic resin blend or a phenolic resin/phenolic compound blend, and which layer can be deposited on a supporting substrate. More specifically, the hole blocking layer in contact with the supporting substrate can be situated between the supporting substrate and the photogenerating layer, which is comprised, for example, of the photogenerating pigments of U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,811, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, especially Type V hydroxygallium phthalocyanine, and generally metal free phthalocyanines, metal phthalocyanines, perylenes, titanyl phthalocyanines, selenium, selenium alloys, azo pigments, squaraines, and the like. The imaging members of the present disclosure in embodiments exhibit a number of advantages as illustrated herein and excellent cyclic/environmental stability, and substantially no adverse changes in their performance over extended time periods; low and excellent Vlow, that is the surface potential of the imaging member subsequent to a certain light exposure. The photoresponsive, or photoconductive imaging members can be negatively charged when the photogenerating layers are situated between the hole transport layer and the hole blocking layer deposited on the substrate.
Processes of imaging, especially xerographic imaging and printing, including digital, are also encompassed by the present disclosure. More specifically, the layered photoconductive imaging members of the present disclosure can be selected for a number of different known imaging and printing processes including, for example, electrophotographic imaging processes, especially xerographic imaging and printing processes wherein charged latent images are rendered visible with toner compositions of an appropriate charge polarity. The imaging members are in embodiments sensitive in the wavelength region of, for example, from about 500 to about 900 nanometers, and in particular from about 650 to about 850 nanometers, thus diode lasers can be selected as the light source. Moreover, the imaging members of this disclosure are useful in color xerographic applications, particularly high-speed color copying and printing processes.